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way to prevail with him to be fo, but an univerfal Humiliation and Repentance. And this is the Application I defire to make of the Point I have been now treating of.

If the Measure of God's dealing with Nations be always according to the Moral State of them; if their good Fortunes be dealt out to them according to their Virtues; and Judgments be inflicted upon them, according to their provoking God by their Sins; as we have faid; Good Lord! What a lamentable Profpect have we of this Kingdom of what may come upon us? And what infinite Reafon have we thereupon, immediately to try all the Ways that are poffible of making our Peace with God, that fo Iniquity may not be our Ruin.

I beg leave to dwell a little on this Point, because it is the proper Argument of the Day.

I do not fay, nor do I think, that we of this Nation are worfe than our Neighbours. But this I fay, confidering how long God hath fpared us, and how long we have enjoyed the Bleffings of Peace and Plenty, and all forts of Profperity (though perhaps with many Fears and juft Apprehenfions of Danger) whilft most of our Neighbours have been haraffed with Wars, and expofed to all the Cruelties and Miferies of Perfecutions and Devaftations And confidering the great Privileges and Advantages we have for many Years enjoyed, of all the outward Means of Grace, that could be defired for the Eternal Salvation of our Souls, and that above any other Nation under Heaven; and withal, how unprofitable

profitable we have been under thefe Means, how unthankful to God for them, and what little Effect they have had upon us for the bettering our Manners; And laftly, Confidering how very wicked we generally are, what a world of open grofs Sins and Impieties do reign among us, and what a Lewd, Prophane, Hypocritical, Atheistical Spirit seems to have gone out into the Nation, and to prevail upon it; I fay, these Things confidered, we cannot make any very comfortable Reflections on our own Condition. So far from that, that if (as I faid) the Measure of God's Dealings with Nations be taken from their Behaviours and Moral Qualities, and be fuited to their Merits and Deserts, we have as little to hope for, as moft Nations under Heaven.

I take no Delight in saying these Things; on the contrary, it is very grievous; But if ever one may be allowed to run out into a Declamation against the Vices of the Times, it is upon fuch an Occafion as this, and before fuch an Audience as this, that the Liberty may be challenged.

For God's-fake let us not deceive ourselves, nor think that we are Favourites of Heaven, meerly because we profefs the Beft Religion, and are made Members of the Best Church in the World.

For as Good as our Church and Religion is, and as zealous as we feem to be for them; yet never did Vice and Iniquity of all Sorts, and indeed every thing that is contrary to our

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holy Religion more abound in this Nation than at this Day.

Give me leave to speak out upon this Occafion, and to tell you fome of the Crying Sins that reign among us, and that deferve Your Care to put a Stop to; and which, if they be continued in, will certainly bring down the Vengeance of God upon us.

Where was there ever more Atheism and Infidelity to be feen in a Country that profeffed the Religion of Jefus Chrift, than is among us at this Day?

We do not perhaps meet with very many that do openly affirm, There is no God: For, as bad as we are, God be thanked, we are not yet arrived to fuch Impudence. That is fuch an Affront to the Laws and good Manners, that it is not to be born with. But we may meet with feveral every Day, that do affirm the fame Thing by Confequence; afferting fuch Principles from whence it may be neceffarily concluded.

For my part, I account it much the fame thing, as to the ill Effects of the Opinion, to deny the Being of God; as to deny the Being of Angels and Spirits, and Immaterial Souls; to deny the Being of particular Providence; to deny the natural Difference between Good and Evil; to deny another Life after this, wherein good Men fhall be rewarded, and wicked Men punished; to deny the Liberty of Human Actions; and to fay that all Things which we do, we do by a fatal Neceffity, and we cannot do otherwife: And yet we may

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every Day meet with Men of these Principles, nay, and that laugh at all those that maintain the contrary.

But then, as for the Bufinefs of Jefus Chrift, and that which we call the Chriftian Religion, what a very little do a great many among us make of that? To talk of Chrift's being fent for the Saviour of the World, and that he died to procure the Pardon of our Sins, and that we must believe all the Scripture-Doctrines concerning him, and worship him as a God; why what Stuff is this to a great many of the refined Spirits of our Age? It is very well if they can fo far prevail with themselves, as to own the Being of God, and to acknowledge their Obligation to the Duties of Moral Honefty and Justice, which natural Religion teacheth: But as for Jefus Chrift and the Trinity, and the Sacraments, and all revealed Religion; they beg your Pardon for these Things, they are too nice and fubtil for them to meddle with. Not but that they are good Christians all the while For they can come to our Churches and to our Sacraments too, if there be occafion. Because indeed they will always be of the Religion of the Country where they live. But at the fame time they do this, they do no more really believe, or expect any Spiritual Benefit in our Religion, nor look for any more Salvation from Chrift Jefus, than they would expect from Mahomet, if they fhould live in Turky.

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But this is not all. Even among those that do believe in Jefus Chrift, and own his ReliVOL. I.

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gion; yet what little Regard have they, generally fpeaking, to his Worship and Service?

It is very well if they now and then afford their Prefence on Sundays, at the publick Religious Affemblies. I will not examine with what Defigns, and for what Ends they come thither, nor how devoutly and religioufly their Hearts are affected during the Time they are there I fay, it is very well that they are there at all..

But even of thofe that do come thither, and do once a Week feem to have a Senfe of publick Religion; I fay, how few are there of them that take any Care of worthipping God, either in their Families, or in their Clofets?

Why, if a Man were truly Religious, hè could not pass a Day without folemn Addref fes to his Maker, and to his Redeemer. He would pray in the Clofet conftantly; and if he had a Family, he would pray with them conftantly. And if he had no Family, he would conftantly refort to thofe Places where he might pay his Tribute of Publick Prayer and Praifes to God, unless he had urgent Bufinefs to hinder him.

But, is there any thing of this to be feen among us, except in fome few Perfons here and there? Are there not Twenty Families for One that live without fo much as the Shew of any Devotion? Without any fort of Prayer or Worship of God in their Houses? Nay, and I am afraid, I may fay, there are Twenty for One, even of private Perfons, that live without Devotion in their Clofets; that never

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